Random Dozen

We interrupt this regularly scheduled blogpost of the Random Dozen to bring you this rant special bulletin:

If you see my hair floating around the blogosphere, please return it to me. I just pulled it out in frustration in my attempts to update my sidebar.

Do any of you have issues? Seems like I used to be able to move things up and down the entire length of the blog. Now there's a point that I get to and nothing will go past that unless I leapfrog it repeatedly as I move them around. Argghh!!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled post.



It's Wednesday, which means the coolest place to be is at 2nd Cup of Coffee for the best meme in Blogtown!

1. So I was thinking about how Jon Bon Jovi never seems to age much. His hair is smaller nowadays, but he still manages to look like a boy somehow. And then that made me think of the story of Dorian Gray. Question: If you physically lock in one age for yourself, which would you choose and why?

If I have to go with pure physical reasons, it would be 25, when I was energetic and still slim with minimal effort. But for emotional reasons, it would probably be 40, since I was married and had both my kids then (neither of which had occurred when I was 25).

2. What is the best dish that you cook or bake (your piece de resistance?)

Hmm. I have some great recipes that get lots of compliments. During the holidays I make peanut brittle and pralines, and those two are always a hit. I make a really good roast and gravy and I also have a wonderful recipe for chicken enchilada casserole.

Oh, you want me to share it?! Well okay, since it's been a couple of years since I posted it!

CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 - 1 c. chopped onion
1 1/3 c. fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 can Rotel Original diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 c. fat-free sour cream (I used light)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (10 1/2 oz) condensed fat-free cream of chicken soup
Cooking Spray/small amount of cooking oil
24 (6-inch) corn tortillas
4 c. shredded cooked chicken breast (I used 4 breasts)
2 c. finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Saute onion and garlic in large saucepan in oil (or cooking spray) until soft. Add next 7 ingredients (thru soup), stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Spread 1 c. soup mixture in a 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 6 tortillas over soup mixture, top with 1 c. chicken and then 1/2 c. cheese. Repeat layers 3 times, ending with cheese. Spread remaining soup mixture over cheese. (NOTE: Soup mixture will seem scant and you will think this will be a dry dish, but it will spread and get nice and creamy when it cooks.)

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 12 servings.

3. When you feel blue, what is one strategy you use to help yourself back to normal?

Music, read, or make myself get out of the house and go somewhere.

4. When was the last time you danced in public?

Probably the same as the first time! LOL No, I guess it would be at one of the dorm formals when I was in college.

5. Do you consider yourself a realist or dreamer?

Realist. Those dreamers need to get their heads out of the clouds!! LOL

6. As a parent, what is one thing that you have done well?

Teaching my kids to have a heart for others. Both in the big things like wanting to reach out and help when something happens to little things like thanking people, paying attention to a grandparent and helping out..

7. Which is your favorite character on the Andy Griffith show?

It's been so long since I've seen this show, it's hard to decide. Probably Barney Fife or, before it spun off, Gomer Pyle. They were hilarious!

8. On a scale of 1-10, how much do you know about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Probably about a 4 or 5.

9. Have you never been mellow? Have you never tried … to find a comfort from in side you? (Sorry, Jorge was singing that song just now, and it just seemed to be perfect timing as I was creating this week’s questions.) REAL question: What is your #1 driving pet peeve?

Clueless drivers. Fpr example: Piling up in the right lane at a traffic light when they aren't turning. Going below the speed limit in the left lane. People that decide to do what they want regardless of what lane they're in or how much of a traffic snarl there is. It's all about them!

10. Which color best represents your mood today? Care to elaborate?

Probably blue - I'm calm, relaxed, and content.

11. If your spouse were an animal, which would he/she be?

What a question! I had to get help on this one. According to them, he is a mole, primarily because:

Moles have extremely sharp minds and are excellent problem solvers. As reflected in their determined burrowing through difficult terrain, moles prefer solutions with straight lines rather than having to go around problems. When confronted with difficult issues they never give up; hacking away with dogged determination until the answer is found. This attribute makes them perfect for jobs in engineering, accounting or diagnostic work. Careers are taken seriously. So seriously, in fact, that with their little heads down and their backs fully into the job moles may not notice the world going by. But even moles have dreams, and long for a time when they can put down the shovel and take a well-deserved hammock break on a quiet shady beach.

12. What activity takes up the bulk of your time on an average day?

Bon-bons and magazines. NOT!! Meals - planning, shopping, preparing, and cleaning up.



Head on over to 2nd Cup of Coffee to read more random answers - better yet, link up with your own post!